Kings and Skies
by Mizuki99
Summary: Those that knew about the Trinisette, knew about the Dresden Slate. Those that knew about the Dresden Slate knew nothing about the Trinisette, as was the law put in place by Vendice... So why was it they were risking everything for an odd acquaintance? And why did it seem as though the Kings were not as out-of-the-loop as Vendice implied? (Heavily Implied All27. No Crossover ships)
1. Meeting

_**Author's Note: **_FINALLY! I've figured out how to upload. This is my attempt at getting used to a new Windows phone.

Partially inspired by Set the Skies Ablaze.

_**Update**_: Not as much activity as I was hoping for but it's only the first chapter.

I added line-breaks since the other ones didn't show up. I'll have to use those dots from now on since the regular line breaks don't seem to appear.

.

Tsuna scanned the apartment he had been held captive in for three days before he slipped out of the front door (bold, yeah, but his captor was underestimating his self-preservation since he'd left Tsuna alone in an apartment with minimal security) without wasting time.

He should have known it was too good to be true.

He got half way to the elevator before he, quite literally, ran into Leto-a fair skinned foreigner that broke into his house one night and stole him while everyone was asleep (there would be no living this down if Reborn ever found out-hopefully he could get out and get back to Namimori in one piece without wasting too much time and say that he snuck out for a road trip with a couple of friends... Reborn would be impressed but he would feel the need to put the boy in his place. Impressing his volatile tutor could save him from severe humiliation... Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about the pain).

He had enough training under his belt to assist him in his next escape and a very lethal instinct driven into his very potent bloodline as well as a Will of steel that could almost effortlessly convert into condensed Sky Flames. If that wasn't enough to escape from a low level goon that was just keeping him for a higher power, he was screwed, and even though he could hear four different (violent) voices saying in a level but lethal tone as he ached from whatever blow they had given him at the time of that lesson _because that was exactly what he was doing_ (and there was no denying that he was underestimating his opponent), he had to go through with it.

But right now, he was in for a _very_ painful punishment from said captor. His uniquely colored eyes (red over black with very light pupils) flared dangerously but his expression was amicable.

"Who's this?" It was then that Tsuna noticed that he was not alone in the elevator.

Tsuna's Intuition whispered as a foreign, untamed power brushed against his skin causing the hair on the back of his neck rise.

There was someone stronger than him here.

He had people to protect, though, so the power he would use to protect them was being held back because he couldn't control it.

And Tsuna could see why.

The source was wounded.

He'd heard of the Dresden Slate-had lived in the disaster zone with his mother's mother and father when he was seven after Iemitsu moved to Italy for good (he hadn't-the man visited after they moved back to their small house in Namimori, the one Tsuna had been raised in).

But he had never seen a King before.

His presence kind of reminded him of Xanxus.

"Ara, ara, are you shy, miss?" A friendly looking brunet asked.

A flush rose to Tsuna's cheeks as he mouthed the word '_miss_'.

The King smirked.

Tsuna couldn't help but stare. That bastard knew better... _and he wasn't correcting him_.

"Ah, Mikoto-san isn't as mean as he looks." The blonde beside him said, waving a hand towards the King.

"She's just not used to the presence of a King. She's a Strain, see." Leto put an arm around him, his fingers pressing against his side in a deadly threat-he had a pair of retractable claws.

Tsuna flinched. He caught a bruised rib.

"Really? What's your power?"

Tsuna felt the fingers flex. He ignored it as he examined the brunet. "The same as yours."

The person in front of him was not a fighter, however, so his instinct wouldn't push for him to kill like Tsuna's Vongola Intuition did. He would only have an instinctual grasp on key events that would happen in the near future.

But, like the Vongola Intuition, it could be combined with other powers that lurked just beneath the skin's surface to make it twice as powerful as it was on its own.

"Eh?" The brunet tilted his head. "But I'm not a Strain."

Tsuna felt a flash of frost but he doubted that the person in front of them knew of his power if he was denying it and looked genuine.

"Not yet." Tsuna amended. It would need to be drawn out. Would he live long enough?

Tsuna shuddered. Such an odd thought.

It was mild but he could sense more to the odd power, something that was separate from the Aura he got from his King. It was similar to the Harmony factor of his Sky Flame combined with some sort of insight. It could easily develop into something very lethal if he combined his Aura with the dormant ability.

'_If he lives long enough._' Tsuna blinked. Was the brunet going to die soon?

No, his intuition whispered, but after the Red King builds his Clan...

He will be.

Tsuna made sure to store that information away for later. He'd indulge his Intuition later.

"When you find out, you'll know."

"Uwah, not fair."

"Come along, Tsuka. We need to get dinner started." Leto said. Tsuna resisted the urge to bare his teeth at the name. Where the fuck did he come up with that? A genderbending name generator? They couldn't come up with something more... Fitting?

But he was already being pulled back to the apartment.

The second the door closed, Tsuna was thrown to the ground and kicked in the ribs. He screamed when he felt one crack under the pressure. He tried to crawl away but Leto grabbed his hair and picked him up. He swiped an arm over the counter and pinned Tsuna to it by holding his arms behind his back. Leto kicked Tsuna's legs apart and dug his knee painfully into Tsuna's groin from behind.

Tsuna screamed again.

"I bet you like this sort of thing, don't you? With Guardians like Rokudo Mukuro and Hibari Kyoya... Tell me, do they both fit inside of you or do they take turns?"

Tsuna felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"Well, I guess we'll find out, huh?" Leto began taking off his jeans but before panic could swallow Tsuna whole, there was a knock at the door.

Leto froze.

The King was the one that was knocking. Tsuna could feel it.

Leto cursed.

He released Tsuna who quickly scrambled away and fixed his jeans. He followed Leto into the hall where he saw Mikoto holding up a necklace with a Ring on it.

A very familiar Ring.

"That's mine." He blurted before he could help himself. Deciding that the damage was already done, he reached for the Ring. Leto was powerless to stop him. They had a witness and that witness was a King. If he caught wind of something fishy, he was bound to investigate it, especially if he and his vassals were living in the very same building. This was their territory after all.

Tsuna was safe.

He had a weapon now. His most powerful weapon.

"Thank you." Tsuna whispered, willing Mikoto to understand that he had just saved his life. "I truly thank you."

Mikoto blinked before he nodded, understanding more than Tsuna knew.

The door closed.

When Leto struck, Tsuna made sure to give as good as he got.

•

Kyoya's grin was nothing short of feral when Reisi launched his attack, his Aura wrapping around him and making his body twice as fast as it normally was. Sword against tonfa, the two lunged, dodged and parried in a lethal and dangerous fight.

Reisi and Kyoya had met through Kyoya's father. The two men had grown up together, often being separated for long periods of time before meeting up again and indulging in a no-holds-barred match.

This time, however, Kyoya was holding back...

And Reisi knew it.

Kyoya was unmarked... But then so was Reisi. Kyoya was going on the defensive to avoid being injured.

How... Out of character.

Reisi leapt back and sighed. "Your heart is not into our fight. What troubles you, old friend?"

Kyoya landed in a graceful crouch. "I told you when we ran into one another that I was busy, Munakata."

Reisi sighed once more. "After all that we've been through together, you still refuse to use my first name. Does familiarity scare you, Kyoya?" He was taunting him now but Kyoya could read his concern.

"I have no desire to get familiar with a King."

Reisi shook his head quietly. So defensive.

Kyoya stood gracefully. "I shall give you a real fight after I've retrieved what's mine." He said curtly before leaving a confused Reisi in his wake.

He needed to find his Sky. No one else mattered.

Not even acquaintances, however powerful.

He'd managed to track the perpetrator to an apartment complex somewhere near the heart of Shizume City but had yet to confront him.

Something was telling him to wait and Kyoya knew better than to ignore this particular instinct, especially when it came to one Sawada Tsunayoshi.

He did not notice the way Reisi watched him leave with an unidentifiable glint in his eyes.

•

Izumo couldn't sleep.

The girl from this afternoon had not left his mind. Her eyes were wide and frightened and she flinched when Leto put his arm around her.

Did he hurt her in the past? Was that what caused her reaction? He had also seen Mikoto pick Leto's pocket. Had his King and best friend notice the same thing he did?

Izumo sighed and got up to pour himself a drink but when he got into the living room, he saw Mikoto was already up.

Neither spoke as Izumo poured two glasses of whiskey.

Mikoto downed his in one gulp.

Izumo raised an eyebrow.

"He's not a girl." Mikoto said after a moment of silence.

"Huh?" Izumo cocked his head. "Who?"

Mikoto gave him a look. "From this afternoon. That idiot was wrong."

Ah.

Izumo cocked his head slightly. The kid looked a bit girly for a boy.

(It was for that reason that Izumo didn't berate himself for assuming that the idiot had been correct in guessing the person's gender.)

"Why did Leto go along with it?"

"Maybe he doesn't want anyone to know who he is."

"Or maybe he's being held hostage." Tatara said from the door, his expression grave. "I saw the panic on his face when the elevator doors opened. I needed to make sure that he was in trouble before I helped him." It helped that Leto had ignored his presence altogether, seeing him as a pony boy instead of someone who observed their surroundings for threats (and he'd found one in Leto).

"Don't start a fight you can't win. You know you can't fight." Mikoto said, giving his temperance a level glare. Tatara spun around, a protest already falling from his lips.

"King! We can't stand by and do nothing..."

"We're not." Izumo said, practically reading Mikoto's mind. This was _his_ area of expertise, not his King's (no offense to Mikoto, of course, but just as Tatara couldn't fight, Mikoto couldn't strategize-that was Izumo's job). "We're just going to go about helping him in a different way."

•

How long had it been since he had healed himself of the damage inflicted the day he got the Vongola Ring back?

Tsuna had taken the time to channel his Flame through every part of his body to heal the injuries Leto had given to him in punishment (Leto hadn't escaped without injury himself) but doing so had cost him. While he was unconscious, having fainted from exhaustion, Leto had chained him to the bed in the spare room. He reversed the doorknob and put a flap on the door to slide one meal through everytime Tsuna woke up through and that one meal was laced so heavily with drugs of every kind that Tsuna's Flame was having a hard time burning it all out of his system.

It didn't help that Tsuna had to be unconscious for his Flames to burn it off.

Nor did it help that every time he woke, his head was foggy with hunger but whether it was because of time or because his body was trying to replenish the energy as fast as it was being used up, he was unsure. Either way, he was starting to notice severe weight loss from the repetitive process.

Until one day, he was violently shaken awake by his Captor.

Tsuna blinked away the grogginess, far too used to violent awakenings from a certain sadistic Arcobaleno.

"Put these on and be ready to cook." Leto glared savagely at Tsuna. "Your little episode in front of the Red King has brought too much attention to us. You're going to throw it off."

"Why should I? I bet if he knew you were keeping a teenager hostage in your own home, he'd hand you over to law enforcement."

"Don't get cute. If they hand me over, I'm taking you down with me. Let's see how the Vendice like it when I tell the Golden King about how the Trinisette impacts the Dresden Slate."

The objects that made up the Trinisette were carved from a similar material. The differences between them were their shape and what power they gave. What didn't change was that they all linked a group of individuals together with a bond so strong, not even Death could break it.

The other difference between them was the people who found them.

Giotto and Sephira discovered the Trinisette. Weismann and his sister were the one who discovered the Dresden Slate.

Everyone involved with the Trinisette knew about the Dresden Slate and their connection to one another. Everyone involved with the Dresden Slate knew nothing about the Trinisette as the Omerta protected that and Dying Will Flames from public knowledge.

But Leto was threatening that protection.

Tsuna's vision went orange. How _dare_ he?! Didn't he know that those laws were in place for a _reason_?

"Scary... But not enough." He sneered before turning to leave. "I will return in five minutes to unchain you. Use that time to change."

"How am I supposed to get dressed if I'm still chained?"

There was far too much mirth on Leto's face. "You won't be wearing pants."

Tsuna felt himself shudder. Surely, he was kidding.

...

He wasn't. There was a dress in the bag. It was a frilly black one that showed off his legs (which, according to Leto, were his best feature... He wouldn't know. He never really looked at himself like that before).

He didn't really have a choice in this matter did he?

But then... When has he ever?

•

Mikoto would never admit it but Tatara was probably the most resourceful person he'd ever met. He could probably charm a child into giving him their candy if he wanted to.

(He wouldn't do it, of course, he was far too kind to do anything of the sort but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of doing so.)

The fact that he conned his way into having dinner at their asshole neighbor's apartment only strengthened that opinion.

The apartment was similar to Izumo's, the only difference being where the rooms were located and the size. Izumo's was much larger, as it was the penthouse apartment.

But then Mikoto had been expecting that.

He was not, however, expecting what came next.

He'd almost blown their cover when the boy walked out into the main part of the house in a freaking _dress_.

"Good afternoon, Suoh-san, Kusanagi-san, Totsuka-san. I'm sorry we couldn't meet properly yesterday. My name's Tachibana Tsuka. I hope you enjoy dinner!" The cheery, high pitched voice he was using was like that of a housewife eager to please her husband...

But Mikoto could see that it was an act. His eyes gave him away. They were slowly starting to bleed into a crystal orange color that reminded him of the setting desert sun.

Mikoto could tell. He was _pissed_.

With a good reason.

But what could they do? They wouldn't be able to do anything until tomorrow because they needed to case out the apartment first.

Or so Mikoto thought until he saw the little brunet pick Leto's pocket after dinner was served. He pulled out a little bottle, carefully hiding it in the folds on his dress.

Mikoto took that as his cue.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you." He said, drawing Leto's full attention away from the kid. "What's _your_ strain ability?" He asked.

The brunet unscrewed the eyedropper and dripped some of the contents onto Leto's food while everyone was focused on Mikoto who was sitting on the other side of Leto, opposite of the kid.

No one, save for Mikoto, noticed the action.

"I can see in the dark and I have retractable claws. I can cut just about anything and they never break." It was clear that he was boasting about his abilities.

"Like a raccoon!" The kid chimed in, giggling like a girl.

Leto shot him an almost unnoticeable glare. The kid looked smug but Mikoto saw that his smugness was giving way to cold, hard calculation when Leto bit into his rice with a little too much force.

Mikoto bit his tongue. The kid was a bit like Tatara. If he couldn't hide his emotions, he use them to his advantage.

He used them to rile up his opponent.

And on top of which, he was resourceful.

When dinner was over, Leto was beginning to slur his words. Mikoto excused himself and his Clan because now, he knew for sure.

By the night's end, Mikoto had no doubts that the kid would be free.

•

Tonight was the night that Tsunayoshi would escape. Kyoya could feel it in his very bones. There would be no hunt and no bloodshed.

And yet, Kyoya found himself grinning.

'_I know that as long as you rely on me, I can count on you to be strong enough when I need you to be, Sawada Tsunayoshi._' Kyoya thought.

Because he truly did _need_ this fight.

Because he had to say goodbye.

'_Munakata Reisi..._' Kyoya thought as he turned, letting his jacket fall. He strode forward, brandishing his tonfa. "I've changed the rules to this fight." He announced, watching in predatory delight as Reisi leveled his scepter at Kyoya in a blatant challenge.

"Since when have there been rules?" Reisi asked, his lips lifting into a pleased smirk. This was _his_ Kyoya.

And yet...

Reisi knew.

There was something... _off_... about this fight.

It was as though...

"This time," Kyoya said, releasing the chains that bound his Ring and Box Weapon. The top of this building was a perfect setting for what he planned on doing.

Reisi watched in morbid fascination as Kyoya knelt down, lowered his tonfas and proceeded to remove the chains from the strange jewelry he had noticed but not asked about.

And the ring burst into an inferno of _hot_-as in Munakata was standing on a chilly rooftop with a severe windchill six feet away and he still wanted to shed his coat. It was a miracle Kyoya wasn't being roasted alive... unless this was son sort of Strain ability? Hmmm-violet, _purple_, flames.

Through the bright inferno, Reisi could see Kyoya trying to smother the flames by shoving the ring into a box with a hole on top...

No. That wasn't right.

It was almost as though...

He was.

Kyoya was _feeding_ the flames into the box, as though he was feeding an animal.

He wasn't wrong.

But it didn't look as though that tiny box couldn't hold all of the flames because Reisi could see cracks appearing around the top and spreading.

What was the purpose of this?

When the flames turned into a bright ball with what appeared to be spikes, Reisi had to shield his eyes to keep from burning his retinas.

When he lowered him, he saw Kyoya standing on a spike that lined the wall of the globe that had surrounded them.

"This is my Reverse Needle Sphere. I was careful to keep our stage from attracting too much attention so we can both display our full power."

"You act as though we have to hide our power. Everyone is quite aware of a King and his Damocles... unless it is your own power you wish to keep hidden?"

Kyoya inclined his head. "There are... consequences to those outside of the few who bare our power that _find out_. I do not want any secrets between us.

"I can see the way you long for me to be apart of your Clan. You want me to submit to you, to serve you... but there is only one person I will submit to.

"He's the irritating type that can't make up his mind about whether he wants to be a powerful carnivore or a weak herbivore. I don't know what he is. He is a mystery and I don't like mysteries.

"He doesn't lead a flock of frightened birds. I had mistaken a pack of loyal, _lethal_ carnivores for a bunch of weak herbivores waiting to be picked off by someone far stronger.

"But they weren't. They've grown their fangs and claws... and now they've asked me to join them." Kyoya drew forth his Flame and held it out for Reisi to see. "But they aren't full grown yet so they need someone to watch over them. Our leader is still young, still uneducated, but one day, he will be a carnivore and I will serve him until the day I die.

"Because serving him, I am my own King. I am bound by nothing. They expect nothing of me so I will give them everything. In exchange, they are _mine_ just as I am theirs.

"I could never serve someone that binds me to death because one day, that Damocles will fall and we all know what happens to the Clan when a King dies."

It was a long, agonizing process but eventually, death seized all of them. The longest anyone in either of the two Clans that had lost their Kings had lived was ten years on the spot.

But they wished they were dead for every second of it.

Kyoya desired none of that. At least with Tsunayoshi, he already knew the pain of that kind of loss.

He could exist without him, though he'd prefer not to.

Reisi closed his eyes. "I see." He said. The words hurt less than he was anticipating.

Because he could tell that Kyoya was truly happy with his the people he'd chosen to be his _pack_.

"After the summer ends, I will be leaving Japan." Reisi's head snapped up. His feral smirk softened into something Reisi almost called a smile. "I'm not leaving because of what you asked-I assure you, that changes nothing... But I'm afraid that our surroundings have become far too dangerous for me to allow my pack to stay. I'm not sure if they are ready for that kind of shift in environment but they have a way of surprising me."

"I see," Reisi said again. "I... Appreciate the honesty. Thank you."

Kyoya bowed his head, his bangs covering his face as a feral grin stretched over his face. "Now prepare yourself, Munakata Reisi...

"_**I'll bite you to death.**_"

•

Tsuna closed his eyes as the elevator continued to descend. He was finally free. Now he could work on coming up with a valid excuse for being out as long as he's been...

And pick up some weight in the process.

The elevator dinged, startling the young Don. A quick scan told him it was safe.

When he rounded the corner, Aura-warmed arms grabbed him but before panic could fully set in, the emergency-stair door opened revealing an irate and harried Leto. The arms spun him around, causing him to crash into a chest that far too warm to be considered normal. Tsuna put a palm against the chest to brace himself.

The King's aura washed over him like waves on the beach.

Mikoto lowered his head to make it appear as though they were closer than they actually were. Tsuna shivered as the adrenalin settled and he was left trying to smother his heart.

When Leto was a reasonable distance away, Mikoto released him.

Tsuna's eyes flashed as his Will tried to fight against Mikoto's natural presence. After a moment, he smothered it, concealing his presence entirely.

Mikoto smirked.

"I will pay you back for this, someday, Red King." Tsunayoshi vowed, his Flame staining his irises with a flame that danced as though it were burning a candle wick.

"Heh. I'll be counting on it, young Sky." Mikoto said.

"Tsunayoshi." The brunet, Tsunayoshi, corrected before he blinked the Flame away and disappeared into the city's nightlife.

It wasn't until much later that Mikoto realized his Aura had been silent and his Damocles had been repaired.

•

"Hn. I always knew you'd be into that sort of thing."

"Hiiiiie!" Tsuna shrieked, flailing when he fell hard onto his backside as the leggings twisted into a mangled mess.

"K-Kyoya!"

"Don't get so familiar with me, omnivore."

Tsuna's lips quirked into a wry smile. He saw Kyoya look over how thin he was seconds before the biting remark left his lips. He was never really good at expressing his concern. "I'm fine, Kyoya. I just need food that isn't drugged."

"You have four days to recover. The infant is starting to ask questions."

"You mean to say that Reborn thinks I've been here with you this entire time?!" Tsuna demanded.

"Hn."

"Kyoya, I love you!" Tsuna hugged his Cloud, not caring that he was still in a dress. Reborn wouldn't kill him!

Kyoya smirked to himself.

The Sky was his home and Sawada Tsunayoshi was his Sky.


	2. Repay

Warm water cascaded over tear-stained cheeks, washing away any evidence of sorrow. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to _protect _them. They were all supposed to laugh and watch the fireworks together. They were all supposed to be _safe_...

But they weren't.

They had been taken from him.

It wasn't just his Elements. If it had just them, he could have gotten them back. It had been his backup and his support.

The Varia and the Arcobaleno had been taken as well.

Cruel. Ruthless.

Fast.

They were gone by morning, taking them all in a matter of hours. They had all been drugged so heavily that their Flames had trouble burning them off-the same drugs Tsuna had been forced to take what seemed like an eternity ago.

And then they had stolen them. One by one.

When Tsuna woke, it was to a very familiar face.

"How does it feel to be powerless, Decimo?" Leto asked, clawed fingers curling around a very familiar green gun. _Leon looked so lifeless. Why wasn't he with Reborn?_

Tsuna had torn from his bed, seeking out their Flamma Wavelengths which were all _gone_. Each empty bed sent him closer and closer to the edge.

_They were all gone._

He remembered collapsing in Xanxus' en suite, the final place he searched, with a growing sense of loss.

He remembered feeling so _broken_.

Leto's cruel laughter rang out from somewhere above him. "I'll leave you with this reminder." He threw a familiar box next to him. Tsuna had asked Talbot to make replicas of the original Vongola Watches. He had done something else. He had given them the originals with a few added features. Talbot revealed that, on the night that the First Generation Vongola revealed themselves after signing a temporary contract with Yuni after the Arcobaleno trials, Giotto (in his phantom form) had asked that Talbot give them the watches as a gift when Tsunayoshi finally took up the Vongola Mantle.

Talbot's gift to them had been to make replicas to present to the rest of his Family-for the Varia and for the Arcobaleno.

The box that had been thrown was the box all 24 of the gold and silver trinkets had resided in before they were given to their respective owners.

"I won't kill you, Decimo. Instead, I will leave you to wallow in your self-hatred." Leto grabbed Tsuna's hair and yanked him up, snarling into his ear. "You should have killed me that night. The humiliation I've faced because of you is nothing compared to what you'll face in the years to come. I know the pain of loss very well, Decimo, and I know that this much loss can drive a man insane." He dropped Tsuna who fell limp against the ground, all the while hoping against hope that this was all just a terrible nightmare.

_But it wasn't._

It had all been real.

It had taken time, almost a year of being in his mother and father's care, but he recovered. His Flame was damaged and would never really recover without the aid of his Elements (which meant it wouldn't manifest externally until he was given proper resolve once again) but he was still honed in the means of defending himself so he wasn't in any danger should any of his old enemies rear their ugly heads.

And that was enough to give him the strength to take him back to the place it all began.

Shizume City.

Cash was not a problem but when he saw the apartment he had once been held captive in on an ad-listing while he was looking for a place to stay, he really couldn't resist.

They even kept the cat flap.

Tsuna made sure to turn the back room into Natsu's personal play area.

"Mrrrrrow!"

The sound of his Box Weapon crying outside of the bathroom door pulled Tsuna from his reverie. "Alright, alright. I'm coming, Natsu. Don't claw at the door!"

He turned the water off and wrapped a towel around his waist. Outside of the door, Natsu peered up at him with wide eyes.

"You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Gao!"

Tsuna leaned into the bathroom and picked up the Vongola Ring. He held his hand out for Natsu and let him lick at the tiny Flame he managed to manifest every day to feed his partner. It wasn't enough for battle but Natsu wasn't here for battle.

He was here to keep Tsunayoshi from giving up.

Natsu required constant attention. If his Flame wasn't constantly replenished, he'd return to his box. It took a tremendous amount of strength to summon Natsu but less to keep him outside of his box. It was an exercise to help him get used to his Flame as it was. So far it had helped.

Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to have Natsu use his full battle mode. His hope was that, one day, he would be.

At the moment, he could only manage a small Flame to feed him every day. It wasn't much but it was more than before and he considered that progress.

At least now he had a companion while he sought answers.

But first, he had a debt to take care of.

•

The Red King felt the moment the bullet pierced his Temperance's chest. It was an unpleasant and sharp feeling that sent him to his knees. "Find that idiot." He remembered snarling at Izumo before his vision went black.

Images flashed in his mind but what he remembered most was the scorching heat that threatened to burn his flesh and a vibrant orange flame.

He jerked in place, cutting off his Aura before anyone got hurt in the same moment it took for the door to swing open.

Izumo had returned. In his arms was a very familiar brunet. Mikoto stood and inspected his Temperance. It was as though nothing had happened...

But...

"He will scar but I hardly think that matters to you."

Mikoto felt his lips twitch as he turned to the source of the slightly deeper voice. "Balls finally drop?"

"Bite me." Tsunayoshi said, stepping into the bar. "We are even now, Red King. I've saved your Temperance. My debt has been payed."

"Indeed it has. At what cost?" Mikoto cocked his head. Tsunayoshi swayed where he stood, his head tipping to the side as though it was too heavy to hold up.

The kid had aged well. His body was lithe and flexible, angled in all the right places for flight and speed. His eyes had narrowed and he stood at shoulder-level, whereas before he stood at Mikoto's chest. His hair was longer, a tail sweeping down to the curve of his back, held by an ornate silver clasp. On his neck, Mikoto could see a tattoo of a black flame with an X in the center of it just above his collar bone. Above it was a white leather collar that had black chains connected.

Something told Mikoto that those chains weren't normal chains. He figured they had something to do with why he couldn't sense Tsunayoshi's Flame at all.

"The cost was at my own risk. I knew what I was doing."

"And what, pray tell, were you doing?" Izumo asked.

"I was healing him." Tsunayoshi said carefully, turning copper eyes onto the bartender. "Fire, for me, can mean more that destruction. I'd have thought that much would have been obvious."

He was baiting Izumo. While the bartender knew better than to take it, Yata was not. Mikoto put a hand on the back of his vanguard's neck, calming him before he could get riled up. Tsunayoshi's lips twitched in amusement. "I've yet to see that." Mikoto said. He cocked his head towards Tsunayoshi when his eyes slid blindly over where Mikoto stood. "Until you can walk a straight line, I advise you rest here." He said.

The gratitude in Tsunayoshi's eyes told him that he made the right choice. He released his vanguard and caught Tsunayoshi's arm as he swayed dangerously to the side. He guided him to the empty couch, the other being occupied by Tatara, and let him fall limp, already unconscious.

"No one is to harm him." He said clearly. "He is to be treated as an ally. If I hear that you've gone against him, I'll punish you myself."

Those that were present murmured their affirmative before departing to fill in those that weren't, leaving Mikoto alone with Anna, Yata and Izumo while Tatara and Tsunayoshi recovered on the couches.

Mikoto downed a shot of whiskey that had been left by one of the patrons.

"Grab a drink, boys. We got a long night ahead of us."

•

_It wasn't as though Tsuna knew where he was going when he tore through the streets after a very familiar piercing ringing started somewhere in the back of his mind. The sound warned him when trouble was near-dangerous trouble, the kind that ended with a bullet through the chest-but the very familiar heat that he associated with the Red King's mark washed over him and he knew that he couldn't stay away._

_So he kept careful track of the change in pitch as he moved, letting the sound guide him. The closer he got, the louder the ringing became._

_He underestimated how loud it would get. It became almost blinding until it was shoved away in an instant when he felt the presence of another King only this time, the presence was icy cold to the point of dying everything with a negative tint. Color was drained from his vision until all he saw was negative._

_Except for the color red._

_There was so much of it, thrashing under the surface, desperate to be released. Those wounds would be healed in an instant, burning, scabbing and scarring as soon as that Red was released for the first time._

_But he had no trigger. His Strain and Aura fought for dominance. If his Strain ability had been activated before his Aura had been recieved, the two would have corresponded... but as it was, the two were fighting for dominance, both trying to save his life._

_There was no **harmony**._

_Maybe..._

_The ringing got louder when the gun turned to him. "Who's there?! Show yourself, Sky Child! You can't hide your presence from me..."_

**_Don't make eye contact! _**_The ringing kicked up a notch and Tsuna leaned his head forward so his hair obscured his vision. He was careful not to meet any part of the Colorless King's gaze._

_"Yes... you will make a fabulous host." The gun went off and Tsuna's vision went orange._

_Dying Will Flames sprung to life on his fists and forehead as he dodged the oncoming trajectory, '**Hah. You'll never be as good as Reborn.**' He sneered mentally before knocking his feet out from under him and throwing him over the railing. That wouldn't kill him, his intuition supplied, it would only damage the body he was in and those wounds would heal soon enough (he didn't let the chill behind that thought get to him-he didn't have time to)._

_He spun and knelt desperately over Tatara's body. "You were undeveloped. Your Strain and Aura are fighting for dominance where there should be harmony... I will supply that for you." Tsuna placed a blistered hand over the wound and called on his Flame._

_This would hurt, his Intuition whispered._

_Even though he went into Zero Point Breakthrough to absorb most of the damage, it really did._

_He let the Aura roll through him, forcing his Harmony into the untamable Red that had been taken from his King._

_Tsuna's eyes widened._

_"So that's your ability, little Strain. You take the burden off of others by soothing with your own. Your ability to convert that power into a concentrated form will allow you to better protect yourself and those around you. Use your new power well, little Strain. I've broken all kinds of laws by granting you this power. Don't waste it."_

_Tatara gasped as his Aura and Tsuna's Dying Will Flame, for one brief moment, became one._

_And then everything burst into flame._

•

When Tsuna woke up, the first thing he felt was the bone-deep exhaustion that came with overtaxing himself with his Dying Will Flames... and it was the best damn thing he ever felt because it came with the knowledge that both he and Tatara were alive to see another day.

He forced his heavy limbs to respond, pushing himself into an upright position and then gnashing his teeth down over his tongue to keep from crying out when he forgot about the burns on his hands. He looked down to assess the damage and noticed that not only had his hands been bandaged (which were rapidly turning red after he opened something when he put his weight on it) but his clothes had been changed to a pair of cotton sweats and a white t-shirt as well.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Kusanagi said from behind the bar where he was tidying up. "Our King has stepped out for a moment but has asked that you not overtax yourself."

Tsuna nodded his head, ignoring the way his Will flared from somewhere deep inside of him. It was an odd but familiar feeling that he welcomed. It had been so long since he'd last felt it that now that it was responding (however defensively-although he wasn't sure _why_. Mikoto wasn't hurting him and it wasn't as though he was _ordering_ Tsuna to take it easy...), it felt different.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"How is he?" Kusanagi asked as Tsuna inspected the wound he had overtaxed himself to heal.

"Out of danger." Tsuna said. "Keep the wound clean and dry. Make sure you rub some antibiotic cream on it and whatever you do, don't let him twist, pull, push or bend. That will tear what has already been healed. I managed to heal the inside of it but the surface is very tender and can reopen easily." Tsuna shrugged into his jacket. "He won't wake up for a few days. I put him pretty deep under, although that was not my intent."

"What _was_ your intent?" Yata asked, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"I told you before. I was healing him." Tsuna said, his eyes narrowing into slits. He broke out into a cold sweat and had to back away to hide the way his burnt hands trembled. Overtaxing his intuition left his head foggy and his limbs were uncoordinated because of it. He was in no condition to fight. He stumbled back, feeling for the door blindly as panic began to claw at his throat.

His vision doubled, one eye becoming the negative vision he had seen before with the same Red he had seen before.

He covered it before the Red could stain his vision entirely. He could see their Aura, dormant under their skin. He could feel the heat against his skin, could feel the way his Intuition prickled in warning. These were not his people. They could turn on him.

But he knew they wouldn't. The top three—the King's Court, he joked silently and then had to bite his tongue to keep from snickering—had gone out of their way to help him. He had repayed them. As far as where they stood, it wasn't on negative grounds. The Vanguard had no reason behind his anger.

So Tsuna clenched his jaw and met Yata's gaze evenly.

"Tch." He turned away. Tsuna resisted the urge to smirk and assert his dominance. This was not his domain.

He felt someone tug on his hand and fought against the urge to lash out. He turned slowly, blinking when a little girl looked up at him from where she was undoing the bandages from his hand. He moved so that she could finish and focused on her work instead, welcoming the distraction.

"Thank you, little miss." Tsuna whispered while Kusanagi scolded Yata.

"Anna." She said softly.

"Anna-chan, then." He winked. Anna's lips turned up in an almost imperceptible smile.

"If Anna-chan likes him then he can't be all that bad." Bandou said, nudging Yata with his elbow. "Ease up a little, Yata. He's not in a condition to stand up to you right now."

"Any other time and he'd probably wipe the floor with your ass." Kusanagi informed him cheerfully. "He's a Sky—they are on the same level as Kings themselves. Don't underestimate him."

"Heh... some King I am." Tsunayoshi said bitterly. Kusanagi blinked and turned towards him.

"What do you mean?" Bandou asked.

"It doesn't matter." Tsunayoshi said dismissively. "Give your King my apologies for not sticking around until he got back but I think that it would be best if I sought professional medical care for the burns I sustained." He reached into the blazer he had been wearing and pulled out a card. He had meant to give it to Hana when he reached out to her (which he completely forgot about... oops...) as it had all of his personal contact information but he could always write another one. It was written on the business card to her law firm located here in Shizume City. Kyoko worked there as Hana's ADA. "Please let him know that if he finds himself in a position where he is unable to make change himself, I would be more than happy to come in and straighten things out for him. I extend that offer to anyone from the Red Clan."

"I appreciate that. I'll pass on your message." Kusanagi said, inclining his head. "The same for you as well. Should you need anything, the Red Clan would be honored to assist you."

Tsuna's lips twitched. "Thank you." He said, bowing at the waist before turning and making his exit.

He had to feed Natsu soon.

•

District Attorney Kurokawa Hana was _not_ happy.

Four days ago, Sawada Tsunayoshi called her office and left a message asking her to meet at a cafe not too far from her firm and he _didn't show up._

Her foul mood abated somewhat when she saw a bouquet of pink carnations—her favorite—and a note with an apology written on it. "Who're they from?" Kyoko asked, leaning into her office after she skimmed the note with a different address. This time it was a bar on the edge of the business district, just across the street from the park.

Called Homra.

"Kyoko..." Hana said, catching her assistant's eye. "Tsunayoshi is in town and has asked that we meet him at that little bar on the other side of town... should we dress nice?"

"I don't think it's that kind of call, Hana." Kyoko said, giving her friend a look. Haru was the wild child. Why was Hana playing her role?

Hana rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't dress up for him anyways." She said, waving a hand. "It just says meet him at that bar, Homra, and to bring you. It doesn't say what it's about."

"There must be a reason if he's reaching out after all this time." Kyoko said. "It's been so long since we last heard from him."

"Yeah..." Hana said quietly. She knew. He hadn't spoken to anyone since the day they had all disappeared. She hadn't expected such a severe reaction from him but the last time she had seen him, he had been almost catatonic. No one had known what to do with him so they handed him over to his parents in the hopes that they would be able to help him. Their prayers must have been answered if he was reaching out after all this time.

And yet... something unsettled Hana.

_Why _was he reaching out?

That question weighed heavily on her mind. "Hana?" Kyoko looked at her friend with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"No." Hana admitted. She wasn't okay. When she went home every night, she downed half of a bottle of scotch that cost more than she made in a month-bottles that were supplied by the hotel she was living at while her penthouse apartment was under repair. They wouldn't charge her for them. She saved the owner from having to sell the place when his ex-wife filed for divorce. The prenup had been mostly iron clad but Hana had found a way out of it and got a hefty cut from the case. It had been one of the first cases she had worked and while divorce court had been entertaining, it wasn't what she was looking for.

There were still perks of the job, she thought as she contemplated the hot tub on her balcony. An unlimited tab at one of the most expensive hotels in Japan was one of them.

That still didn't answer the question of why Tsunayoshi was reaching out, however, and Hana found herself at odds with what she should do. On one hand, the monkey had all but abandoned them after his people had been stolen from them... on the other, he may have found clues that told him the location of his Elements and needed help collecting evidence. Hana had the connections to make that happen. Private detectives, a hand in the Blue Clan since law enforcement and District Attorneys ran hand-in-hand... she had more than enough man-power she could call on.

She closed her eyes and sent a short prayer up.

They'd find out soon. He asked them to meet him at one. It was almost eleven thirty. "I say we at least look presentable. Let's go back to the hotel." Haru would be asleep as she stayed up to finish her notes for the final exam that would put her on Scepter 4's roster. She knew that her intentions were anything but pure so she didn't think she'd be accepted into the Blue Clan even if she was offered a position but she couldn't help but try, even if the rejection would be painful.

They could surprise him by bringing Haru along too. The girl had left to Shizume City before the incident happened, diving head first into law school. When she heard about what had happened, she hadn't had the courage to look at a defeated Tsunayoshi so she made up every excuse in the book to avoid going and seeing him (and it tore her apart every time).

This time, however, Tsunayoshi reached out to them and Hana was going to drag that girl kicking and screaming if that's what it took.

Thankfully, that was _not_ what it took. Kyoko had whispered encouragingly in her ear, waking her up gently and coaxing her through a shower. Hana waited on the edge of the bed, watching a sitcom that reminded her of those easy days in Italy (which were anything but-but she enjoyed them nonetheless). When the door opened, Kyoko and Haru were both done up and wearing a pair of sweater-dresses they had gotten from a boutique that they had frequented every time they got paid. "Your turn." Kyoko said, beaming at Hana.

Hana rolled her eyes but complied and stepped into the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, she stepped out with curled hair, eyeliner and a thin layer of lip-gloss. Her outfit was professional-a pencil-wrap skirt with a white button-up-but sexy because it hugged her in all the right places.

Hana pulled off the sexretary-look well, Kyoko thought while resisting the urge to giggle.

Lussuria would be so proud.

•

It had taken Tatara exactly four days to recover. The first day he spent in a near-death coma next to Tsunayoshi. The second day, Tsunayoshi had left to get professional medical care for his own injuries while Tatara recovered from his which were healing at an accelerated rate. On the third day, he woke up long enough to get down three bottles of water before he fell unconscious again. On the fourth day, Izumo walked in to see Tatara sitting up and rubbing his head while blearily taking in his surroundings. "Morning, sleeping beauty." Mikoto said gruffly from the stairway. Tatara turned his head and looked at his King before his head tilted dangerously to the side.

"Don't overdo it, now." Izumo said, catching him before he fell and aggravated his injuries. "You lost quite a bit of blood before help got to you. It'll take some time to recover from that, even if your wound is mostly healed."

"What happened?" Tatara asked, his voice cracking. Mikoto brought over a few water bottles and pushed one towards him. Tatara took it gratefully and downed it without taking a breath.

"You got shot." Mikoto said. "Tsunayoshi-the young Sky we encountered while we stayed with Izumo-saved you."

Izumo's eyes narrowed. Was Mikoto not going to tell him?

Sharp red eyes cut into his vision.

No, Izumo thought as he all but read Mikoto's thoughts. He's too weak to experiment with an ability that could do more damage to him. They'd tell him later. Right now, it was best to let him focus on healing and then they'd talk about his new-found Strain ability.

"Tsunayoshi was here?" Tatara looked around hopefully but found no trace of the brunet.

"He was... but he had to leave. His hands were severely burned and he was worn to the bone. He told us to call him when you woke up, though." Izumo rolled his shoulders as he made up a cocktail before joining his Clan on the sofas.

Tatara's shoulders slumped. "Wait to call him. I'd like to do that myself."

"Since you're awake now, I can open up my bar again." Izumo said, nudging Tatara playfully. Tatara flushed.

"I couldn't help it. I was bedridden."

"Couch-ridden." Yata said and then broke down into snickers.

"Right." Tatara nodded. "What he said."

"King... what're we gonna do about the Colorless King? We have to warn the other Clans about this." Tatara said, getting serious when Izumo turned the closed sign around and pulled open the blinds to let some light in. In a matter of minutes, the bar was full of its afternoon regulars. The usual bright atmosphere covered their conversation well and prevented Mikoto from losing his temper. He picked a good time to address the issue.

"Don't worry about it until you're completely recovered. In the mean time, I'll see if I can rile Munakata up a little bit. If we're both still in one piece after the fact, I'll be sure to pass along a message that there is a new enemy to the Clans."

"You aren't going to talk to the Gold King directly?" Izumo asked. "Don't you think that this kind of situation calls for it?" As a King, Mikoto had free entry to the Gold King's domain as long as he remained at the Gold King's call. Last time Izumo had checked, Mikoto had accepted the Gold King's alliance and therefore was at his call.

"Why the hell would I do that when I can stir up some trouble with the local law enforcement?" Mikoto asked, an almost sinister smirk making Izumo groan.

"Do you have to? Really?" Izumo asked, attempting to keep the desperation out of his voice. "I don't want to bail you out of jail again."

"Then I won't get caught."

"That's not what I mean." Izumo said, his eyes narrowing. Mikoto rolled his eyes. He wasn't fighting because he was losing control. He was fighting because he wanted to whoop that sissy-King's ass. Knock those damn glasses off of his face and see how smug he was then.

Dominance. That was what he wanted. Munakata thought that he was on top of the world but Mikoto wanted to knock him on his ass and teach him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. Flaunting about _his_ territory and claiming things left and right. Scepter 4 may be run by the Blue Clan but the Blue Clan was a separate entity entirely and it was time that Munakata remembered that.

But it was okay for him to forget from time to time. After all, why else was Mikoto around if not to remind the Blue King that no, he was not on top?


	3. Reunite

Shizume City.

Of all of the places that brat could have chosen, he chose the hardest city to get into.

Three hours after his flight landed, Shamal was _finally_ getting to his destination. Apparently, his "get-through-security" pass didn't _work_ for Scepter 4. They wanted to search _everything_ which took almost an hour and a half. Then there was the work visa he was here on. They wanted to question him about it. Then there was the background check (he was clean under his real name but most of his aliases had prior arrests so he made sure to give them his real name and practice which was, conveniently, located in Italy).

Two hours had passed and he just wanted to get _out_ but no. He had to fill out a freaking release form.

The only up side was that the one that did the questioning was the King's second in command and she was _gorgeous_.

He knew danger when he saw it and that only made her that much more alluring. He made sure to keep it all professional, however, because he knew _very_ well the consequences (least of all, a broken nose—worst of all, imprisonment on the same level Rokudo Mukuro had been held in while he was being held there as any sort of relationship with those associated with the Dresden Slate in any way was _illegal_).

So, he was nothing short of polite and cooperative while inside, he was _seething_, as they dissected his background, practice, liscence (all of which were _authentic—_he did have some respect for the law, thankyouverymuch), and passport... but he couldn't quite mask his impatience when one of the Blue Clansmen took his sweet ass time getting his bag from the atttendant that searched it.

"Might I ask what you're waiting for?" A Scepter 4 officer with blue hair, blue eyes and thick-framed glasses. Fushimi, his badge said.

"My bag. It has my supplies in it and I've been called out." Shamal said, checking his watch again.

"Tch. This office is full of incompitence." Fushimi pushed up his glasses and strode past the desk Shamal was leaning on. He picked up the phone and pressed a button Shamal couldn't see. "Inspection office, please." Fushimi looked bored. "Hello, Senga-san?" He paused, inclining his head. "This is Fushimi. If you and Asunama are quite done, there is a gentleman here that has been called out on an emergency call and you have delayed him long enough. If his patient dies, I will be sure to tell our _King_ that you and your boyfriend carry the weight of an innocent death on your shoulders. Keep your affairs in the bedroom. The office is a place for work, not pleasure." He set the phone down and looked back at Shamal. "My apologies." Fushimi said, his expression as flat as his tone despite the fact that he bowed respectfully. Shamal inclined his head, accepting the apology because _damn_, that was amusing.

The officer came back with a flushed face and stuttering rapid-fire apologies. Shamal kept up the ruse by darting out of the door without acknowledging the man. Only when he was down the block and lost in the crowd did he drop the brisk pace to look around him. He swiped his finger over the screen to unlock it and scanned the address. He wasn't far from where he had to go.

When he walked intp the apartment, he saw Tsunayoshi crashed out on the couch with one arm strewn over his eyes and the other resting lightly on his belly. His breathing was even which told Shamal all he needed to know.

The kid wouldn't wake up because he wasn't a threat. It was a loophole in the Vongola Intuition which allowed Tsunayoshi to spring up if his life was in danger and he was fast asleep. If it wasn't for that, Shamal had no doubt that the kid would be dead because he slept like a freaking _log_.

He was still careful when he poured the liquified Sun Flames (Verde, before he disappeared, had created a solution that turned Sun Flames into a liquid and Shamal had been making full use of it as the Vongola's primary doctor) over the burns. It was the only thing that healed the burns that Tsunayoshi sustained when he used his Flame without a conduit—and that was the only reason Shamal had got up at two in the morning to board a last-minute flight headed to Japan.

As the Vongola's primary doctor, he had been on-call after the brat's Famiglia disappeared. He knew that the kid had damaged his Flame to the point that he couldn't activate it. The fact that, not only was his box-weapon present (it really didn't matter if the Sky Lion was strong enough to fight at that moment or not—the fact was that he was out of his box and that took a tremendous amount of strength) but that he sporting third degree burns told Shamal all he needed to know.

Tsunayoshi had summoned his Flame. He had _held_ his Flame long enough to peal away his flesh—a process that could take anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes on the young Vongola, depending on whether he had used the hard Flames or the soft Flames. Both could burn but the time varied—meant that something big happened and he had every intention of interog—er... _questioning_ the brunet about it.

After he woke up, that is.

.

When Tsuna woke up, he didn't move his arm right away, too busy assessing the absence of aches and burns on his body.

Well, he thought, Shamal was here. He shifted, moving his arm slowly and opening his eyes.

Damn. His vision was still that odd double-vision. If the colors had been inverted but tinted with orange instead of the odd negative vision it was, he would have associated the colors with Flames. As it was, he only had a theory to work on. His theory was that, instead of telling him who had a developed Flame, _this_ vision told him who was connected to which Clans.

He was half right.

It was an extension of his Hyper Intuition. It had developed in a split second when the Colorless King tried to take over his body. In a last-ditch effort, his Flame lashed out while his Intuition formed a defensive wall around the attack while trying to make up for it turning into a weakness (meaning he was pretty sure that he should have been blinded but got this instead).

"Well..." Shamal drawled. "I was going to ask about the burns but I think a better question is what happened to your eye?"

Tsuna blinked at Shamal, watching the indigo Flame dance around him. "The vision isn't the same. I can see..." He bit his tongue. "I can see the Clans." He said, meeting Shamal's gaze. "It's odd. It's like my vision when I'm in Hyper Dying Will mode with all of the color sucked out of it. I see your Flame, can feel its warmth but it's as though all of the color, except for Flames and Auras, has been sucked out."

Shamal hummed. "You said that you locked eyes with the Colorless King?"

He couldn't remember so he stayed silent.

The man grimaced. "The Vendice has released an announcement. The new Colorless King is a fox-like spirit that can possess people by looking into their eyes." Shamal said gravely. "It didn't specify if the person had to be conscious of the gaze or not. I guess now we know that they don't have to be.

"Your eye has changed color." Shamal continued. "Your eye is now one solid shade of orange, as though your pupil has been erased and the color has been bleached from your eye and put back by your Flame. My guess is that your Hyper Intuition created a permanent defense against the Colorless King but your Flame needed to make up for any weaknesses. This process created a lot more damage internally than externally. Did you lose consciousness for an extended period of time?"

"Yes." Tsuna answered honestly.

"And, by chance, were you alone?" Shamal asked dryly.

Tsuna felt indignant by that assumption. "I wasn't alone, for your information." If he was snappish, he blamed Shamal. That man could always get him flustered.

Like a woman.

He mentally shuddered. He was _not_ like a woman.

(And yet, he sustained the number one rank for Sexiest Loyal Mafioso... _and he still didn't know why_.)

"Did your _companion_ tell you that you had a fever?" Shamal asked.

Kusanagi had told him that Mikoto refused to leave Totsuka's side and had kept a close eye on him as well. He did have a fever but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. "I did go into a healing stasis after the encounter, yes." Tsuna said, already knowing what Shamal was hinting at. "But it was short, eighteen hours at most."

"Then your injuries were fatal enough that your body kicked it in to overdrive but not enough that you wouldn't be able to heal the damage done had you tapped into your Dying Will... tell me, what caused this sudden change in resolve?" Shamal asked, watching Tsunayoshi's expression carefully.

But it was unnecessary.

"I've found a reason to stick around for a bit longer."

Shamal sighed, "Vongola..."

"**Don't**!" Tsuna snapped, his Will flaring in a way that almost brought Shamal to his knees. He'd never been so overjoyed to feel the sensation he'd once feared—Tsuna's _Boss Mode_. A shiver rolled through him, touching him in places no woman had ever succeeded in reaching before. _His Vongola was back._ "**Don't you **_**dare**_** tell me that they are not alive, Trident Shamal.**" His eyes narrowed and his voice dropped a pitch but the suffocating weight that threatened to press all of the air out of his lungs was gone. "We both know that I would have felt it if they were dead."

Shamal forced away the urge to flush. Right. Elemental Bonds.

Ten years was a long time. Bonds that had started out with hatred had turned to those of passion. At this point, there was no one in the main estate that _hadn't_ been caught together. What was even more horrifying was that sex with the boss had become like some sort of _ritual_ to them.

(He still felt his belly tingle with anticipation when the month of October rolled around.)

Unfortunately, with that many people so in touch with their Flames, they could form ties between their Flame and another's. It didn't help that the two alphas of the two seperate packs had influenced one another in a way that was far too dangerous to experiment with. Those bonds acted like extensions of his Intuition and allowed him to pinpoint their exact location.

It hadn't worked which told him all he needed to know. If it didn't work then his Intuition considered them to be _home_ and there were only two countries that registered that way.

Italy and Japan.

Since it had been a Strain that took them, that left Japan.

He didn't tell Shamal that part. He hadn't told _anyone_ that part. If the Vendice found out that a Strain had made it on their territory, they would rip the Mafia apart to find out who it was that got him in just so they could make an example out of him. Tsuna hoped to have all of that done before he went to the Vendice with his claim and he'd make damn sure that Leto paid for breaking Vendice's laws.

(He'd studied it very carefully—the Law specifically stated that outsiders allowed in were also held accountable. They would be imprisoned indefinitely because they were a danger to the Dying Will Flame society. Tsuna could use that to benefit him... but he couldn't risk getting the Red Clan involved. He couldn't risk any of the Clans getting involved.)

"You've got a plan." Shamal stated, drawing Tsuna from his reverie. "And a damn big one if that look is anything to go by. Do I need to rally the troops?"

Tsuna knew that what was left of the Vongola fell under Byakuran's command at his order. It was temporary while he retrieved what was his. His Famiglia would remain his while under Byakuran's command (and he thanked the cursed power that showed him that terrible future all those years ago—the Mare Rings—for his extensive knowledge on Tsunayoshi's behavior because he knew exactly how he'd react in every situation. He could imagine Byakuran smiling and saying something along the lines of "Tsunayoshi is too merciful. _I_ would have done something _very_ different" after the fact).

"No." He stated. "Leave them as they are. This is not something they can help with..." He bit his lip. "But I would like for you to remain nearby." He said quietly. "I've got a feeling, Shamal. It's so strong that it's eating me alive. I can feel it. They are here in the city... I just don't know _where_..."

Shamal watched as Tsuna grit his teeth hard enough to draw blood. He sighed. "If I knew I was going to be treating men, I would have hooked up with that delectable officer that questioned me." He was lying. Attractive as she was, she was _off limits_.

Tsuna gave him a wry smirk. "If I was younger, I can imagine Reborn forcing me into a dress."

Shamal sighed mournfully in an over-exaggerated manner. "I miss those days."

"Perve."

"No more than your own, Vongola." Shamal said with a dry smile. "I will remain on call, as you wish, but I feel the need to warn you. If you and I had access to the same channels, there isn't a person alive in this city that doesn't know of your appearance. If your invisible enemies haven't reached out to you, they will soon. They can feel the fire and from what I've managed to pick up from what you've said, these people aren't going to sit still and wait for you to attack. They aren't going to let you dig up any information. They are going to strike first. The fact that you can sense them now when you couldn't before means that they are letting you sense them."

"Let them." Tsuna barked, his eyes burning with his Flame. "They aren't perfect. They have to screw up eventually and when they do, I'll be there to annihilate them."

.

Hana liked it when guys kissed her ass so Tsuna already knew what it was he had to do. Flowers, liquor and a day out on the town. He would be careful how much liquor he bought her because, despite being out of commission, Tsuna _did_ keep tabs on her. He knew about her three-bottle-a-day habit, knew that it was as far as she would go in her downward spiral. That's why he pulled the strings he did.

Her first divorce case. It hadn't been because she wanted to work there. He had gotten her the job as a last-ditch effort to protect her (because there had been a war between the Vongola and the Vendice at the time caused by Yuni's sacrifice—the Vendice wanted Tsunayoshi to be the new Sky Arcobaleno as Aria was dying and they didn't want Yuni to make the same stupid move she made in the future and Tsuna didn't want anyone to be dragged into the crossfire) and had known that it would save her later on but hadn't known _how_.

His Intuition was finicky like that. Always vague, telling him to do things but never specifying why it would be of any help. He learned to follow his instincts each and every time after he noticed the pattern (how those little actions that nag him end up saving hundred or thousands of lives later on).

But now he did.

The man she helped divorce was one of Vongola's financial security measures. He laundered millions of dollars through his hotel and continued his loyalty even after Tsuna feld underground. He wasn't part of his higher echelon but the two of them were acquainted and they could contact one another so it made perfect sense that he called Tsuna when Hana showed up on his door step.

It also made perfect sense that he was giving her watered-down liquor to prevent her from accidentally giving herself alcohol posioning.

It wouldn't last very long, he swore, because now that he's here in Shizume City, she wasn't going to have enough _time_ to do such activities. He planned on having all three girls moved in to his apartment by the end of the week.

(It wasn't as dirty as it sounded. He just felt that it would be best if they were living with him... he made a mental note to pick up some more furniture and to remodel the back room later. Hana would kill him for sticking to the basics because she knew that he'd lost his home the day that his own were stolen right out from under him and the blank walls would only continue to remind him of that.)

They were all dolled up just for him. Kusanagi waved at him, grinning in greeting. "Good morning, Tsunayoshi." He said cheerily. Tsuna walked over to the bar and motioned for the girls to come as well. In his line of work, he knew better than to piss these women off. They were not as kind as they looked.

In fact, Tsuna could see their weapons under their clothes (outlined in white by his odd-vision and, apparently, having it covered by a blacked out lens did not help). Hana had two guns strapped to her thigh. Kyoko's was hidden under her cardigan in a pair of shoulder holsters and a hunter's knife strapped to her inner thigh. Haru chose a staff as her weapon but the staff was made out of an alloy infused with her Cloud Flame. It could expand and retract as far as she needed it to as long as she had the Flames to do it. Her Flame multiplied the atoms in the alloy, Verde explained when he gave it to her as a high school graduation gift (he didn't ask—he didn't want to know).

That was why he was going to get this over with now. "Have you met Kusanagi-san yet?" He asked, smiling.

"Briefly." Kyoko said, her smile pleasant but not warm. She was wary. Kusanagi grabbed her hand and kissed it like a gentleman. "I am Sawagawa Kyoko and these are my friends, Kurokawa Hana and Miura Haru." Kusanagi repeated the gestures with Hana and Haru, kissing just above Hana's engagement ring in an acknowledgement that he was not to make a move on her (Tsuna could tell that she was impressed).

"I am Kusanagi Izumo of the Red Clan." He said. "If you need anything, feel free to give me a call." He looked at Haru and winked before sauntering off to another side of the bar, out of earshot.

"That offer was genuine. _What did you do?!_" Hana hissed, her voice dropping into an almost feral hiss that reminded Tsuna very much of a viper. He resisted the urge to shiver. He was not fourteen anymore, damn it!

"It's what _they_ did for _me_. Do you remember when Kyoya and I came back from a week-long _'vacation_' we took my second year in high school?"

"Yeah. It's kinda hard to forget. Reborn had you shitting bullets for a week." Hana said.

"Is that even possible?" Haru asked.

"I don't know, ask Tsuna." Hana said, smirking triumphantly down at the flushed brunet.

"You swore you wouldn't tell anyone!" Tsuna bemoaned, going along with her haughty sarcasm even though he knew she expected the opposite.

Hana looked flabbergasted that he went along. He was going to laugh but got a better idea and took out his phone. She held still long enough for him to take a picture but when the flash died she reached for his phone and he stood up quickly, holding the phone just out of her reach. "Delete that." She snarled, grabbing for the phone again. Kyoko and Haru giggled and cheered them on.

"No."

Just to spite her, he snapped two more, each one catching her reaching up with a flustered or an annoyed face. She sat panting and glaring daggers at Tsuna. "I'll get you back."

"I highly doubt that." Tsuna said dryly.

"We'll see." Hana said, smiling like the viper she was.

"So how long have you been in Shizume City?" Kyoko asked, leaning forward and shifting her leg forward. Tsuna shifted so that he could rub his hand up her thigh and almost yelped when Haru started running her fingers over his shoulders. Ahhh, he was so out of practice...

Hana's fingernails nicked at the bottom of his scalp and he spun around. Her eyes were already glazed from the alcohol. "I was going to take you to all sorts of different places today but you ladies are ruining my plans." Tsuna moaned as all three of them circled around him like predators. He hadn't had physical contact in _so long_...

Hana's lips pressed just below his ear. "Skip the sightseeing, Tsunayoshi."

Ah...

He's been too neglectful.

He could feel their want, their _need_ for the Harmony he supplied by simply being there. By ordering them away, he deprived them. Now that he was back, he needed to let them have their fill.

He just hoped he could hold it together until they got to the hotel (as it was closer than his apartment).

.

Hana ached in ways that told her she'd gotten the hell out of what she wanted. She sighed and opened her eyes to see Tsunayoshi already awake, slowly stroking her hair. "I love my husband." She said, as she always did.

"As do I." Tsunayoshi said. "And you, by extension." He always said that. "My Sun understands."

She didn't want to tell her husband, at first, that she was drawn to Tsunayoshi in a way that was abnormal (not love... but very similar) but when the Sky calls, you answer. There was no way around it. By marrying Ryohei, his Flame had marked her (as Elements could only mark one person other than their Sky and that person was meant to be a lover) and, by proxy, Tsunayoshi's Flame had marked her as well.

She'd been told beforehand, by Tsunayoshi himself, what marrying Ryohei would entail and that their connection would allow her some peace of mind at night (at first she hadn't known what it meant but later, she would be very thankful for it—it helped her get through a lot of sleepless nights when the bed just seemed so _empty_...)

It would let her know that he was still alive.

That was why she had been _furious_ when Tsunayoshi just _gave up_.

But he hadn't. He was wounded. He needed time to recover. He recovered. Now he was fighting back. She could feel that fire inside of him again. He was going to find them.

"I will bring them back." He swore, his mismatched eyes boring into hers. "All of them."

She believed him. "Call on us." She whispered, pouring two glasses. Tsuna caught her hand before she could tip the bottle.

"Only if you stop." Tsuna said. "You're hurting yourself. Our bodies may be more durable than the minority's but poison is still poison and alcohol can tear a family apart."

Hana's eyes widened.

"You didn't leave because you wanted to." She said softly. Tsuna's lips thinned, an expression she loathed. It was just another wall between them. Walls blocked them out, made him vulnerable.

"Let's just say all those years of being walked on have finally come to an end. Kaa-san's lighting a fire under tou-san's ass and I don't want to be there to see the explosion."

Hana set the bottle down, disgusted with herself.

"I won't leave you again." Tsunayoshi added in a whisper and she leaned into the hand that gently rubbed her cheek.

"You'd better not." Hana growled, spinning around and throwing the bottle at him. He tilted his head to the side and felt the spray of the liquid. She always did have a good throwing arm... "I'll kill you if you _abandon_ us again. You have other people that need you!"

Her temper-tantrum had woken the other two girls but when they heard what she said, they were immediately by her side and glaring at him. He shook his head and sighed. "I will never abandon you again." He said. His lips twitched. "I'm certain that if you told them of my... temporary departure when they return, they will teach me a lesson that I will not soon forget." His body tingled with anticipation.

Hana's eyes narrowed. "You bet your ass I will."

_**Tsuzukeru.**_


End file.
